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father AA Khwaja was in Indian admin- come Nawabs. I now live in Hauz Khas kind of bonding.
istrative service. My grandfather Khwa- in South Delhi and have the residence Also, this bonding rested on the
ja Abdul Wajid was an associate editor and office at Noida also. So, I can say I promise made by the prime minister of
of <Al-Balagh>, an Urdu weekly edited basically come from Kashmir. India Jawahar Lal Nehru that the people
by Maulana Abdul Kalam Azad. The of J&K will be allowed to exercise their
werkly was later succeeded by Al Hilal. Article 370 and 35A, which give J&K right to self-determination. It was a
I am a lawyer by profession. Cur- a special status and enable it define commitment by the Government of In-
rently, I practice in the Supreme Court its citizenship laws, have become dia. So asking for fulfilment of this right
of India. So, I am a Constitutional expert. the central issue in the ongoing is not unconstitutional.
I have done Masters in Biosciences, M. election campaign in Kashmir. This is
Phil in nanotechnology, PG Diploma because BJP wants to do away with If you win, what are you going to
in Science journalism and a Masters them if it is re-elected? do as a representative of your
in Law. My current area of research is My position is that the Constitution of constituency?
developing jurisprudence for nano- India has given these articles to J&K. My idea of doing something for my con-
technology for developing nations What is Constitution of India? It is like stituency is different. Even people have
including India. making of India. Much like you make, asked me this question. But I told them
say a table. It involves joining the wood that my primary job will not be to pro-
This hardly explains your decision to in different shapes and sizes to give it a vide roads and drains but to empower
contest from Kashmir and that too them. It will be to put strength in their
from troubled South Kashmir. feet and hands. This is what I promise. I
My contesting in Kashmir is not about ‘My idea of doing will be there standing with them on the
a personal fight and it is not a fight something for road when they protest and when there
against a person or a politician. It is is a crisis..
against a thinking process, a mindset. I my constituency Also, I want to set up a Constitutional
think Kashmiris have more or less con- is different. My Protection Network comprising the
cluded that the Constitution of India lawyers and other socially conscious
cannot deliver for them. And there are primary job will not people of my constituency which will
reasons for it. The Constitution of India keep tab on the arrests of the youth in
is not followed in Kashmir. In fact, there be to provide roads the area and provide quick legal help.
is a breakdown of the Constitution in and drains but to Even if one person is picked up, the
Kashmir. As a constitutional expert, Constitutional Protection Network
it hurts me. It hurts me when Burhan empower them. To will be informed. It will then check if
Wani (slain Hizbul Mujahedeen mili- put strength in their arrestee has been kept at a police sta-
tant) who hasn’t fired a bullet, hadn’t tion. In that case it will work to ensure
killed any security personnel was cor- feet and hands’ he is produced before the magistrate
doned off and killed. within 24 hours. If the arrested person
In the subsequent unrest 98 peo- has been put into judicial custody, well
ple were killed and the eyes of 4,000 form. This happened with India too and and good. If in police custody, it will take
people were damaged by pellet guns, different states became a part of it in care he isn’t tortured.
many of them completely losing the different ways. Some like Kashmir had
sight. And I don’t think that the leaders a special Constitutional arrangement. Would you remain involved in the
in Kashmir are articulating this reality Some merged and some acceded. Now affairs of Kashmir even after the
correctly. If I become the MP, I will raise if you say you don’t accept this Consti- Parliament election?
these issues. tutional arrangement, that of Kashmir I would. In fact, I plan to launch a party
with India, and want to undo it, then it which will contest the Assembly elec-
You have said your family has a breaks the original bond that tied the tion in Kashmir too. Even if we manage
Kashmiri lineage? state to India. to pull off a seat or two, it makes a lot
Yes my family has a Kashmiri origin. Article 370 and 35A are integral difference in a state where a party (PDP)
Our ancestors had moved to plains of parts of the Indian Constitution. We with just 16 seats managed to rule the
India around 400 years ago just like got different states together on mu- state in a coalition with Congress. For
the family of Moti Lal Nehru which had tual terms. But the way J&K has been now, I am in the process of finding the
similarly migrated from Kashmir. Part joined to Union of India, no other state good candidates in Kashmir who will
of my family had settled in Kolkata with has been. The Union of India under the contest the election.
whom we have lost the connection and signature of PM incorporated J&K with
part in Kanpur where we rose to be- special guarantees. So, it was a different letters@tehelka.com

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